Liechtenstein Place Names Explained

Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at Liechtenstein's place names. Here instead of cities we will look at the municipalities.

Liechtenstein gets its name from the family from Liechtenstein Castle in Austria, itself named because of its 'bright stone', which is exactly what the name means.

Ruggell is thought to be from the Latin for 'clearing the land', something which would have happened before settlement began.

Planken comes from the Latin and describes the region of 'rising meadows'.

Eschen is simply 'the place of the ash trees'.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.

Libya Place Names Explained

Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest Libya cities.

Tripoli is a Greek name meaning 'three cities'. It was founded by the Phoenicians some 2,700 years ago, they named it Oea.

Benghazi was founded around 525BC and named Euesperides, a name referring to the great fertility of this area and to the garden of Hesperides. Two hundred years later the place had become Berenice and not until the Genoese merchants began trading with the tribes of the hinterland do we first see the present name, then recorded as Marsa ibn Ghazi.

Misurata gets its name from the Mirata tribe, a Berber people who inhabited this area for many years.

Zliten takes its name from the Isliten tribe, another Berber people in residence here.

Bayda is the Arabic word for 'white', although originally this was az-Zawiyat al_Bayda 'the white monastery', this the white painted zawiyah on the hill top.

Al Khums translates as 'the quintile', the name not readily understood but possibly refers to some counting quirk used when dealing in olives and olive oil.

Kufra is from the Arabic kafir, an Arabic term for non-Muslims.

Tajura is named after a princess who lost her crown with taj 'crown' and Oura the name of the princess.

Tarhuna takes its name from the Berber tribe who inhabited this region prior to the Roman occupation.

Msallata may come from the Arabic word masalla because there is a core of tall buildings.

Tawergha is from the Berber language and means 'the green island'.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.

Liberia Place Names Explained

Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest Liberia cities.

Arthington is named after Robert Arthington, a man from Leeds in Yorkshire who contributed hard cash to enable former slaves to migrate from the southern United States.

Barclayville was created and named after President Edwin Barclay, the 18th president of Liberia whose administration lasted from 1930 to 1944.

Buchanan takes its name from Thomas Buchanan, cousin of former US president James. Thomas was the second governor of Liberia.

Careysburg is named in honour of the Reverend Lott Carey, he the first American Baptist missionary to Africa and a key figure in the founding of Liberia.

Clay-Ashland is named after Henry Clay, a slaveowner who favoured emancipation, and his former estate of Ashland in Lexington, Kentucky.

Fish Town hardly needs any explanation, the catch taken from the Neseme creek.

Greenville was named after Judge James Green, among the first of the Mississippi Delta planters to send former slaves to Liberia.

Harbel is named after the founder of the Founder Tire and Rubber Company and his wife, Harvey and Isabelle Firestone. This place has long been the site of a major rubber plantation.

Harper is named after Robert Goodloe Harper, a US politician who was not only influential in the former of the colony but the man who suggested the name of Liberia.

Monrovia is fairly well known as named after US president James Monroe, he a prominent supporter of the colony.

River Cess is a place name. A recent census put the population at 2,578. It;s name was given as Cestos by Portuguese traders in the early 16th century, it means 'basket' and refers to those produced and sold here.

Robertsport is named after Joseph Jenkins Roberts, Liberia's first president.

Virginia, originally called New Virginia, took its name from the US state, itself named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, known as the Virgin Queen. The majority coming to Liberia from Virginia.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.

Lesotho Place Names Explained

Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest Lesotho cities.

Maseru is the capital of Leotho with a population of some 330,000. It is not only the name of the city but of the district, this a Sesotho word meaning 'red sandstone'.

Teyateyaneng gets its name from two rivers: the Tebe-tebe and the Teja-tejana, tributaries of the Mohokare River. Both tributaries are named for their deep sandy bottoms and refer to this area as 'the place of quick sands'.

Mafeteg is held to be named after an early visitor, one Emile Roland. Emile was also known as Lefeta, 'the traveller' or perhaps 'passer-by', and thus the place name refers to itself as 'the place of the passers-by'.

Mohale's Hoek is an area named after the younger brother of Moshoeshoe, an 18th century chieftain.

Butha-Buthe is also the name of this city's district, both taking their name from a feature of the local area marking it out as 'the place of deposits'.

Mokhotlong takes its name from the Lesotho language and means 'place of the bald ibis'.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.